Machine for polishing floors.



E. POST.

MACHINE FOR POLISHING FLOORS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26. 1910.

Patented Dec.27,1910.

3 BHBETk-BHEET 1.

INVENTOR, ERNST POST. I

Attormey ms uanms'psrsns co., yusnmcmu, 11c,

E. POST.

MACHINE FOR POLISHING FLOORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26,1910.

979,798. Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

3 BHBETHH'EBT 2.

v ERNST PosT,

Attorney Tin: NORRI$ PETERS co., wnsnmcrozv. 0. c4

E. POST. MACHINE FOR POLISHING FLOORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26. 1910.

979,798. Patented Dec. 27,- 1910.

\NV'ENTOR, ERNST P0 5 THE NORRIS PETERS col. WASHINGTON, n. c.

ERNST POST, OF BUMMELSBURG, NEAR BERLIN, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR POLISHING FLOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2?, 1910.

Application fi1ed March 26, 1910. Serial No. 551,754.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST Posr, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and resident of Rummelsburg, near Berlin, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Polishing Floors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention realtes to machines, driven by a motor, designed for rubbing down and polishing parquet floors.

Polishing machines, in which the polishing tools were driven by a motor, and which treated always one strip of the floor at a time, sufi'ered under the disadvantage that it was difficult to observe the exact direction of the strip to be treated, because the polishing means itself must work in the direction of the axis of the motor machine. This defect is remedied in my machine by arranging the two motor driven polishing tools at a right angle to each other, and causing them to work at an angle of 45 to the axis of the machine itself. In this way the line formed by joints of the strips lies in front and in a position to be seen. If the machine is then adjusted to the length of the single squares, each square will be, under any circumstances, treated along its whole length, a thing not at all possible, or with great difficulty, with existing-machines, on account of not being able to follow the exact direction.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan, Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the polishing machine, and Figs. 4 and 5 show the receptacles for holding polishing tools in front and side elevation.

Referring to the drawings, a is the baseplate, on which is arranged the electromotor b transmitting its motion by a pair of bevelwheels 00 to the vertical shaft (Z, and driving a spur-wheel e which meshes with the I wheel The wheel f has a crank-pin g, and is connected by means of the pitman h with the slide piece 2', which is thereby reciprocated. To the fork-shaped end 76 of the slide-piece 2' are linked the two rods Z Z, which are connected to the two-arm cranklevers m, m, which with their outer ends engage the middle of lever 17., a, respectively. One end of each of these levers n, n is movably connected to the levers 0, 0, while the outer ends are fastened to the receptacles p, 32. These serve in the early stages of the smoothing down process, for holding the coarser materials, such as steel filings, etc. When the rougher part of the rubbing down is finished, these are replaced with brushes, which, by the use of wax may put a hard smooth polished surface to the floor. These receptacles are, by the system of levers, just mentioned, moved along the guides Q, 9, that is, under an angle of 45 to the longitudinal axis of the machine. This arrangement of the levers Z, m, n, 0, and Z, 112/, n, 0 enables an accurate straight guiding of the smoothing tool in the direction of the fibers of the wood of the squares mounted rectangularlyto one another. Both guides g, are also arranged rectangular-1y to one another, so as to treat each square according to its position and over its whole length.

The machine rests on four wheels, the two rearmost of which are held by rails 1', 1", the free ends of which may be pressed down by a screw 8, provided with a hand-wheel. The machine is thereby inclined somewhat toward the front onto the axis of the front wheels so that the smoothing tools may be adjusted in a downward direction for treating hollow places which may exist in the floor. The machine may also be tilted to either side. For this purpose the levers t, t, to which the wheels are fixed are connected by rods 24, a, if, a to a one arm-lever o, fixed to the shaft 0 This lever is operated by turning the screw 0, so that one side of the machine is tilted or lowered in accordance with the movement of the levers t, t (illustrated in Fig. 1 by dotted lines). At the other side of the machine there is a similar arrangement, and both sides may be shifted separately, or at the same time, so that one or both smoothing tools are lifted or lowered to meet the unevenness of the floor. Since, now, the steel turnings have to be often exchanged there is an arrangement on the receptacles p, p, which allows the exchange to be readily made. This arrange ment is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The hind wheels of the carriage are journaled in the lower end of the lower arm of the angular levers t (Fig. l). The angle levers t are fulcrumed at the middle point of their length on the frames 1 one end of which is rotatably journaled about a pivot. The other end of the frames 1" (the right Fig. 1) can, by means of a spindle s, be lowered or raised so that the frame 1" turns upon a pivot (Fig. 1) situated at the left of the angular lever t; consequently the fulcrum of the angular lever t in the frame 7 and therewith also the hind wheels, can be lowered or raised. If, for example, the spindle s is so turned that the free right end of the frame r sinks, then the fulcrum of the angle lever t in the frame 7 will sink, so that they lie somewhat lower than the fulcrumof the frame 1". The result thereof is, that the entire hind portion of the machine frame, lying over the hind wheels, rises, while the forward portion of the same containing the steel turnings receptacles sinks. It consequently is brought lower, so as to treat possible hollows present in the floor. In order to be able to tip the machine sidewise to its longitudinal axis, the angle levers t, t, on which the wheels are seated, are connected by driving-rods u, a, a and a with the one-arm lever 11, whose one end is pivoted on the driving rod a while its other end is rotatably seated in the fixed pivots 12 The lever 71 is so connected with the spindle e, that, on rotation of the spindle o, the lever 22 is also rotated about its fixed pivot Q22, consequently, its upper end connected with the driving rod 14 is raised or lowered. If, for example, the spindle o is so rotated that the upper end of the lever '0 is turned upward (Fig. 1 dotted position) at the same time the upper arm of the angle lever t is rotated to the left, and the upper arm of the angle lever t is rotated to the right (Fig. 1). The result thereof is that the lower arm of the angle lever t is rotated to the right, and the lower arm of the angle lever 25 to the left, so that, consequently, the wheel axes seated in their lower arms rise, that is, the respective longitudinal side of the machine is lowered.

The holders 7), p carry pins 10, which are movably arranged within slots of the depending arms w of the brackets which support the receptacles p, p. In the middle of the bracket 1 is a half-ball 10 which engages a seat w", in order to supportt-he smoothing tool at one side, and on the other side, to enable the same to move freely in all directions. At one side of the arm w is a lever m which is rotatable around a pivot 00, which lever has a hook for the pin 10 at its lower end. If now the free end a of the lever w is pressed down, the pin w falls downwardly, while the other pin w 'moves out of its bearing when the smoothing tool 27 is inclined downward. The insertion of another receptacle filled with steel turnings, or of a brush, is accomplished by inserting one of its bearing pins 10 into the journal therefor in the depending bracket arm to, and the lever mis shifted by pressure on the free end'a so far (Fig. 5) that the slot in one shank of the arm w is free, and the second pin w can now also be brought to its position. The end 00 of the lever 00 is free and drawn into the dotted position (Fig. 5), by the spring y, whereby the slot of the arm which is open at its lower end is covered, and the tool prevented from falling out. In the place of the receptacles filled with steel-turnings, which serve for cleaning and rubbing the floor, brushes may be put which, alone or in combination with wax, do the final smoothing and waxing. A handle serves for steering the machine.

Having now described the nature of my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. In a machine of the type described, the combination of a base-plate, a driving motor supported by the base-plate, adjustable wheels carrying said base-plate, two holders running at an angle of ninety degrees to each other, toothed wheels transmitting the motion of the driving motor, a system of levers connecting the holders and the toothed wheels and impart motion to the holders, polishing tools on the holders and a steering-handle in the base-plate, as and for the purpose described.

2. In a machine of the type described the combination of, two holders running at an angle -of 45 to the longitudinal'axis of the machine, and guiding devices therefor arranged out of the central line of the machine for the purpose of enabling the polishing of the ends of the staffs of the floor lying at a right angle to one another.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNST POST.

WVitnesses:

IVOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY I-IAsrnR. 

